Saturday, Jul 8th, 2017, Samuel A. Donaldson

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing J,X,Z)

Blocks: 30

Our last construction from Mr. Donaldson was one co-authored with Brad Wilber in October last year; prior to that, he had a Saturday dating back to 2009.  No hang-ups during the solve for me, a few proper names and some odd 'rare' words, but overall a fun puzzle. Chunky corners, only 4 three-letter words, and a friendly "get-there-from-here" grid which included single nines, paired nines and a couple of 10-letter answers;

30a. Riding in the far-left lane, perhaps : CARPOOLING

Check out the next door neighbor over the fence

37a. Producer who developed "The Jeffersons" : NORMAN LEAR

 EARWORM~!

12d. "No need to be scared of me" : I DON'T BITE - hard.  Or maybe you like being bitten....?

29d. Big storm : NOR'EASTER - where I live today, this type of storm and a full moon could lead to flooding.  Scary.

StO(n)p WA(rd)ffling~!

ACROSS:

1. Gone for the summer, perhaps : AT CAMP - Figured it was school related, and started with AT HOME, which was close

7. Elegant pool entrance : SWAN DIVE - I was thinking we were looking for a noun like 'diving board', not the 'action' of entrance; I had a diving board go out on one of my trucks yesterday - there's no limit to what we will ship these days....

15. Jet Ski competitor : SEA-DOO - I knew SKI-DOO would not fly, but I was close

16. NFLer from 1982-'94 : L.A. RAIDER

17. Trick : TRIP UP

18. Last of Sophocles' Theban plays : ANTIGONE

19. Off-base : ERRANT

20. Post-sunburn phase : PEELING

21. Midway game : RING TOSS - ah, not SKEE BALL

23. Number of hills di Roma : SETTE - knew the answer was "seven", but spelling it was....

24. "30 for 30" documentary series airer : ESPN

25. Touch with gauze : DAB AT

27. They may be fake : TANS - my favorite fake tan look

34. NYSE debut : IPO - New York Stock Exchange, Initial Public Offering

35. "Ciao Italia" chef Esposito : MARYANN - perps

36. Cable co. acquired by AT&T : TCI

39. Ocean hazard : REEF

40. Unalaska native : ALEUT

41. Blocking action : VETO

43. Performs surgery on, in a way : LASES

45. Braised chicken dish : COQ AU VIN - we've seen this before on Saturday

49. Runner with big eggs : OSTRICH

51. Final syllable : ULTIMA

52. Lobster sensors : ANTENNAE

53. Otis of elevators : ELISHA - I did not know his first name - his Wiki

54. Men's department fixtures : TIE RACKS

55. Forwarded : SENT ON

56. Decorative herbs : PARSLEYS - spell check is not happy, but it's OK with me

57. Training aids : TREATS - ah, dogs

DOWN:

1. Michaelmas daisy : ASTER

2. Country singer Gibbs : TERRI - filled via perps

3. Memorial rocks : CAIRN - oops, not STELE

4. Much magazine content : AD PAGES - well, I knew it was AD 'something', or 'something' AD(s), but PAGES took a while

5. Goes up : MOUNTS

6. Coke holder : POP-TOP CAN - "Coke" seems a little too specific - I can get Diet Dr. Pepper in a pop-top can, too - or is the author trying to throw us off with the "gram" type of coke~?

7. High-fives, e.g. : SLAPS

8. Ebb : WANE

9. Crafts in Cancún : ARTES

10. Attached by pounding : NAILED ON - I was close, had NAILED TO

11. Technology catchall : DIGITAL - I'm not a huge fan of all these companies that jumped on the Apple bandwagon and offer their products with "i-something" names; did you hear about Apple's new make-up line~? It's called iShadow.

13. Retaliation : VENGEANCE

14. Word of relative time : ERE - I had ERA, and did not get my "ta-DA~!"

22. Jam : SNARL

26. "What a long week!" : TGIF - Thank God It's already past July 4th, as far as I am concerned

27. Turner of music : TINA

28. Michael Corleone's first wife : APOLLONIA

31. Reuben setting : RYE - ah, had me confused at first

32. Finnish distance runner Nurmi : PAAVO - OK, I cheated - I Googled this answer to get a foothold in the middle

33. For the asking : ON REQUEST

35. __ instinct : MATERNAL

38. Summons (up) : MUSTERS

39. Dancer's program : ROUTINE

42. Like one looking down on his neighbor? : TALLER

44. On account of : SINCE

45. Musical whose plot involves a two-person tournament : CHESS - I had "-HE--", and this seemed like a logical WAG.  The game I conceived went with me again to Delaware last weekend and I worked out the details with Mike as a two-player version; now I need to get some people together and try it with four players

46. Windows 7 precursor : VISTA - I'm still with XP, and content - but Firefox has stopped supporting the software.  Gonna have to cave at some point to the "future"

47. Cry from one on a streak : I'M HOT - also got lessons from Mike on how to really play Texas Hold'em, since he gets out to the Dover casinos once in a while

48. Asian breads : NAANS

50. Like dried mud : CAKY

52. Novak Djokovic's org. : ATP - sounds like a tennis name to me

Splynter

Note from C.C.: 

I'm sad to let you know that Leah (Chickie on our blog) lost her husband Bill on July 6th. Chickie was very active on our blog for many years. She and Bill just celebrated their 63rd wedding anniversary last month. You're in our thoughts, Chickie.

Saturday, Jul 1, 2017, Greg Johnson

Theme: None

Words: 64 (missing J,Q,W,X,Z)

Blocks: 44~!

Second Saturday in 2017 for Mr. Johnson - and despite a slow start, I ended up breezing through today's offering.  I reviewed his puzzle from March 25th, and also his debut back in 2013, just to see if there was any reference to him being Australian - which has been a topic of his clues/answers these last two constructions.  None that I could see.  Unusual grid design, sort of a backwards "S" ( or is that "Z"~? ), which again strands us in corners and little to work with getting into the others.  Lots of long across answers, which leaves us with nearly 60% more down clues and answers;

14a. Elaborate sci-fi costume component : FULL BODY MAKE-UP - big fan of the show "Face Off" on SyFy, and much as I like making movies, make up was not one of my strong points - but I certainly would like to try

46a. Spicy meatless dish : VEGETABLE CHILI

24a. Australian Stock Horses, perhaps : POLO PONIES - enough downs to figure this out

36a. They may be excuses : SOB STORIES

ONWARD~!

ACROSS:

1. Annual July 1 celebration marking the 1867 signing of the British North America Act : CANADA DAY - the "DAY" part appeared via crossings, and then it was a sensible WAG being that it was North America

10. Some Australian carvings : ABORIGINAL ART - "ART" showed, so I figured this was another sensible WAG

16. Supermarket count : AISLES - ITEMS was too short - and appears at 21d.

17. Old Andorran currency : PESETA

18. Arrive : GET IN - first thought, but hesitated

19. Dickensian denouncement : BAH~!

22. Guided : LED

23. Get out of Dodge : FLEE - in my case, I have to get IN the Dodge to get out of Dodge - my Grand Caravan, that is

28. Annex : ADD - oops, not ELL

29. Yusufislam.com musician : CAT STEVENS

30. Having a short cut : BOB-HAIRED

31. Like home, say : FOUR-LETTER - yes, but it's such a pleasant four letter word

33. Hang (around) : PAL

37. Didn't miss, as a bus : MADE - I didn't miss my putt on the 3rd hole last Wednesday, and as a result, had my first birdie - yay~!

38. "Gr8 joke!" : LOL

39. Unisex nickname : SAM - I tried "PAT"

40. 4/8/74 record breaker : AARON - half perps, half WAG

41. Brie who played Trudy on "Mad Men" : ALISON - half perps, half WAG

45. Home Depot work apparel : APRONS - I used to don one (Don Juan~?) when I was a kitchen designer back in 2002

50. Legacy Hartsfield-Jackson tenant : DELTA AIRLINES - looked like one of those "huh??" clues until I had half the crossings, again

51. Thinking indicator : LONG PAUSE - ah, not LIGHT BULB (which connotes "idea"), not HOUR GLASS (like the Microsoft icon)

DOWN:

1. Beardie, for one : COLLIE

2. Former senator Specter : ARLEN

3. Twizzlers pieces : NIBS

4. Ancient history adjective : AGO

5. Completed : DID

6. This, that or the other : ANY

7. Not soaked yet : DAMP

8. Winglike parts : ALAE - first of a couple 'plural' misdirections (no "S" ending)

9. Centuries-old Asian wool sources : YAKS

or this one~?

10. Off-topic : AFIELD

11. Out of order : BUSTED

12. Catch from the pier : REEL IN

13. Learners, hopefully : TUTEES

15. Shoulder protection : PADS - "singular" clue with a plural answer

16. Imaging company once big in film : AGFA - the Wiki

19. Bugs : BOTHERS

20. Ancient French region : ALSATIA

21. It flies off store shelves : HOT ITEM

24. Artist Picasso : PABLO

25. Netanyahu's predecessor : PERES

26. CBer's punctuation : OVER - always reminds me of the movie "Airplane!"

27. Friend of Homer : NED - Flanders~!

29. "Harold and Maude" co-star Bud : CORT - perps

30. Mover of many : BUS - ah, not "ARK"

31. Misled : FOOLED

32. Do a favor for : OBLIGE

33. Sentence ender : PAROLE - good one - not PERIOD

34. Head turner : ADONIS

35. It helps you focus : LENS - ah, a singular noun with an "S" ending~!

36. Many a Balkan : SLAV

37. Nautical : MARINE

40. Plant-ruining genus : APHIS

42. Make believable : SELL

43. Palindromic fellow : OTTO - and a clecho;

44. Palindromic bread : NAAN

45. Rights org. : ACLU

47. Lunch holder : BAG

48. In most mammals, the upper one has a groove called a philtrum : LIP - ha~! I knew this

49. Memorable time : ERA

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 24th, 2017, Mark Diehl

Theme: None

Words: 66 (missing J,Q,V,Z)

Blocks: 26

Phew~!  I knew this was going to be a mental workout when I saw the constructor's name, and that certainly held true.  Lots of long entries, with a stagger step of 5 ten-letter answers up the middle.  Extremely deceptive cluing, and for me, unfortunately, some awful proper names (*) - and crossing, no less.  Still, I only red-letter cheated one square, which led to the discovery of one bad entry, and that held up the SW corner, my only problem area - and I managed to finish with one second left on my personal allotted time clock.  My brain is extra extra tired....like the 15-letter climber.  Here's that and some of the long fill;

8d. Like a trenta at Starbucks : EXTRA EXTRA LARGE - I don't 'do' Starbucks - it's my own coffee, or 7-11's

 I found this, too - funny

27d. Doesn't toss and turn : SLEEPS EASY - only with the A/C these days - and hold the trenta....

9d. The Beatles' "Help!" is one : TITLE TRACK - nice clue/answer

 In semaphore, that spells N U J V; half our missing letters

37. Certain racing vehicle : BURLAP SACK - nice. And if you've got the legs, you can rock a burlap sack dress....

27a. Poor working conditions : SWEAT BOXES - uh, like UPS these days - I won the hydration raffle yesterday, so here I am with Donna, our safety girl - she brings me lollipops.    Note my new scanner, which has added to the "poor" working conditions

 Hey now - that's just a crayon in my pocket....

Vacati-

ON-

Ward~!

ACROSS:

1. It can affect where you stop on a road trip : GAS PRICE - similar answer to last week's start - GAS PUMPS

9. Three-legged table : TEAPOY - new term for me - however when I Googled images, they seem to be more than just "three-legged" tables now

15. Customary : ORTHODOX - Orthorunics~!

16. How old radios are heard : IN MONO - total WAG, but it stayed

17. Fed with a wand : TSA AGENT - another dupe from last week

18. Plugged away : TOILED

19. Botched, with "up" : MESSED - hesitated, seemed to easy for the puzzle

20. Tiny stream : RILL

22. Milk source : EWE - not SOW, but that's 0% 33.3% correct

23. Detail on a map : INSET

24. Judicious : SANE

25*. "I Lost It at the Movies" author : KAEL - perps

26. Took part in a cover-up : LIED

29. __-Tiki : KON

30*. One with all the answers? : ALEX TREBEK - funny, I tried SMART ALEC, which didn't fit

31. Company car advantage : FLEET RATE

32. Identity verification system : BIOMETRICS

34*. Hodges of the Dodgers : GIL - hey, I knew this one~!

38. Baskin-Robbins order : CONE

39. Breezed through : ACED

40. It's under a foot : SOLE - oops, not INCH

41. Eighth of 24 : THETA - oh, got me - not THREE, but the eighth letter of the Greek alphabet

42. Many ATM deposits : CKS - ugh.  Checks are all that I deposit, but this was the weakest of the answers lot

43*. Part of a hip-hop trio name : PEPA - argh~!  I had PE-A, and was thinking peee - a, not peh-pa - as in Salt N' Pepa

44. Makes a good living : DOES OK

45*. Keys on a piano : ALICIA - deceptive; I tried BLACKS

47. Give new life to : RECREATE

49. Abs strengtheners : LEG-UPS - Argh~!  not SIT ups, my bad entry

50. It's rarely taken home : GROSS PAY

51*. Inspector in Elizabeth George mysteries : LYNLEY

52*. Two-time British Open champ : ERNIE ELS - good WAG on my part - did not get out on the course or the driving range this week - but I do want to check out that "Downhill Lie"

DOWN:

1. Ad campaign almost dismissed by its creators for grammatical inaccuracy : GOT MILK~?

2*. Hall of fame : ARSENIO - clever misdirection, but I got it

3*. Nine-time presidential candidate : STASSEN

4. Introduced in stages, with "in" : PHASED

5*. He had a way with words : ROGET - thesaurus guy

6. Named : IDed

7. Bamboozle : CON - semi 'eh' with KON in the puzzle, too

10. Organic compound : ENOL

11. "What __ bid for ... " : AM I - not in my wheelhouse

12. Weapon similar to a halberd : POLEAXE

13. Salary period : ONE WEEK

14. Off-peak calls? : YODELS - that kind of off (the) peak call - har-har

21. Quicker than quick : IN A TRICE

24. Fruit also called a sugar apple : SWEETSOP - never heard of or seen one - I guess I don't get out much (to the tropics)

25. __ beef : KOBE

28. Santa Anita action : BETS - west coast clue - I never heard of the place

30. Michigan city or college : ALMA

31. Decide not to call : FOLD - Poker terms

32*. "Firing Line" host : BUCKLEY

33. Parting words : "I RESIGN."

34. Has a cow : GOES APE

35. All told : IN TOTAL

36. Olduvai Gorge paleontologists : LEAKEYS - not a clue - this is what I found when I went Googling after I finished

37*. "Applause" Tony winner : BACALL

38. Jack in a box lunch : CHEESE - Monterey, that is

41. Tanks cover them : TORSI - tank tops, and upper bodies - nice deception

43. Frosty feature : PIPE - oh, the Christmas character - got me for a long time

We're halfway to UPS Christmas season already

44. Raid shelfmate : D-CON

46. __-de-sac : CUL

48. Muck it up : ERR

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 17th, 2017, Erik Agard

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing J,Q,X,Z)

Blocks: 26

Mr Agard has yet another Saturday grid for us, his last one on May 20th.  Not as quick as the last puzzle, it took nearly all of my personal allotted time - however, I did not have cheat (much).  Just a quick red-letter check about a proper name I didn't think was correct, and the rest of the proper names filled themselves in, although we are looking at some rather vague answers today - hey, it's Saturday.  One spanner, two 10s and no corner blocks this week, thus chunky 8x6 crossings.  Some of the longer fill;

35. Modern pizza option : GLUTEN-FREE CRUST - I thought it would be something about online ordering or cel phone apps

6. Break bread? : MAKE CHANGE - I had some crossings from the first pass, but still feel pretty good for getting this one right away

31. "That wasn't exactly honorable of me, was it" : "I FEEL DIRTY" - started out as "i feel SILLY, and GUILTY did not fit

~!

   (see 24d.)

ACROSS:

1. Where regular payments are made : GAS PUMPS - I make payments 3-4 times a week at this debit drain; I bought my new used Grand Caravan in October with 76K miles on it, and I'm already at 97K.  What do you call a guy who works at a gas station~?

Philip

9. Arena cannon fodder? : T-SHIRT - nailed it - the "ice girls" at hockey games and such will come out and launch one with something like the home team's logo on it

15. Agent : EMISSARY

16. Weighs in : OPINES

17. Soybean product also called yuba : TOFU SKIN - ugh.  To each his own

18. "__ Butterfly" : MADAMA - got me with the "A" and not the "E"

19. Stint for Björn Borg or Björk : SET - nice pairing - one for a tennis (set), one for a musical (set)

20. Get back : RECOVER - so when do I get back my 'life', WC~?

22. Messenger substance : RNA

23. Its services include water taxis : UBER - I tried BART (Bay Area Rapid Transit) - figured some municipality had to offer them

25. Give up : CEDE

26. Skinny one : SCRAG

28. Shunned ones : PARIAHS

30. Private phone connection : TIE LINE - I had tiP line

32. In vitro cells : OVA

33. Govt. bureau dealing with explosives : ATF - Alcohol, Tobacco, Firearms

34. Memo abbr. : ATTN

40. Collateral takeback, for short : REPOssession - Mississippi S's in there

41. You can still blow it up after you pop it : GUM - har-har

42. Loafer letters : EEE

43. Certain radio receiver : AM TUNER

45. Debate-ending procedure : CLOTURE - I wanted cloSure, but it was not working with my downs - yet it stems from the Frawnche for closure

49. Lasso feature : NOOSE

50. __ trip : ROAD

52. Pet reindeer in "Frozen" : SVEN

53. Chapel Hill inst. : UNC

54. It stops the bleeding : STYPTIC - uh, well Band-Aid did fit...I thought this was a medical device, not a medical 'agent'

57. Post-Civil War pres. : USG - Ulysses S. Grant - I pondered Andrew - - Johnson, couldn't recall his middle initial, turns out he doesn't have one (that I could find)

58. Chinese philosophy mainstay : LAO TSE

60. Mongo Santamaria jazz standard whose title is rhymed with "cocoa hue" in Oscar Brown Jr.'s lyrics : AFRO BLUE - long way to go for a very vague clue - I had aLTo blue

62. Introduces : ADDS IN

63. Reach the limit : HIT A WALL

64. Stank up a storm : REEKED

65. They do dos : STYLISTS

DOWN:

1. Rises : GETS UP

2. Protozoan genus : AMOEBA

3. Baker's tool : SIFTER

4. Nittany Lions' sch. : PSU

5. Foe in a four-plus-decade "war" : USSR - that would be the "cold" war

7. Consumer Reports data : PRICES

8. Church council : SYNOD

9. "As I see it ... " : TO ME... - to me, this is just a little bit of levity each week

and that's a Viper, not a 'Vette

10. Not at all all over : SPARSE - missed the second "all" in the clue for a while

11. Secreted : HID

12. First director to win back-to-back Oscars since Mankiewicz : INARRITU - not a clue, but the perps filled it all in - his Wiki - I liked the reference to 'the three amigos of cinema'

13. Left things : REMNANTS - or things left

14. One screening fliers : TSA AGENT

21. Chevy sportster : 'VETTE

24. Unrestrained : RIOTOUS - Went golfing for the first time in 11 years at a local par 3 nine hole course, and I'm glad I did not bother with a score card - my swing count was "unrestrained", but I did do really well on the 8th; a solid drive, a good chip, and nearly holed the putt.  Now the urge to play won't go away....

27. Some reds : CLARETS

29. "__ Maria" : AVE

33. Branch : ARM

35. Finely detailed : GRANULAR

36. Drink from a stand : LEMONADE - shout out~!

37. In line with safety regulations : UP TO CODE - great fill; a lot of what I have to do with my second job requires being up to code

38. Like a fox : FURRY

39. Boardroom cheese? : CEO - guess you'd say they were the BIG cheese

44. Mythical Highlander : NESSIE - and here I thought they finally caught the beast a few weeks ago....(15a.)

45. Conniption : CAT FIT

46. Palate protrusions : UVULAS - if you must see, there's an image here

47. Spring (from) : RESULT

48. Editor of two "Das Kapital" volumes : ENGELS - via perps

51. Warm-blooded fish : OPAHS - oops, not ORCAS - what 3/5ths correct, but only 20%~???

55. Take care of : TEND

56. Holiday stocking bummer : COAL - I received some coal as a gag gift last year

59. "You messed up" : TSK tsk, tsk

61. MD airport : BWI

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 10th, 2017, C.C. Burnikel

Theme: C.C.C.W.~!!!

Words: 72 (missing H,J,Q,Z)

Blocks: 33

  Another Saturday offering from our prolific blog hostess, C.C.  By my count, this is her 23rd puzzle ( some with contributors ) for the LA Times this year.  The last Saturday grid was back in February, and I went back and looked it over - that one went fairly easy, and today's was about the same.  I did not have much in the way of answers for the long fill, but some of the shorter ones gave me some traction, and it went from there.  Just one crummy cell which would not cooperate.  Triple 10s across, nearly triple 9s in the down;

1a. One who may start a rally : LEAD-OFF MAN - no good C.C. puzzle could "lead off" with anything less than a baseball clue.  As for hockey, we're down to one, perhaps two more games ( I hope ) before the Stanley Cup is awarded, and then it's a tough wait until October

54a. Persevere : GRIND IT OUT

11. Luxury resort amenity : SWIM-UP BAR

 Never got the chance - see 42d.

29. Comparative Web traffic statistic : ALEXA RANK - I have Alexa (Echo), and I think it's the coolest thing I own which I only use about 10% effectively - I see there's a book for getting the most out of Alexa.  As far as the "RANK" is concerned, more here

I was looking for some video clips, but every time the host in the clip asked his Alexa something, my Alexa answered.  So I said "Alexa, surely you can't be serious", to which she responded "I am always serious, and don't call me Shirley"

ONWARD technology~!

ACROSS:

11. Borg's land: Abbr. : SWEden - Did think Star Trek:TNG at first ("computer, is your great grandmother Alexa~?"), but decided it was much more Earthly, so I went with GERmany, recognizing that it was a "town" title, but pondered DENmark, etc., too. 

14. Crunchy chocolate-covered candy brand : ALMOND ROCA - huh, never heard of it

15. Pull : SWAY - similar clue last week, and my first thought "YANK" did not "play" well with others

16. Meets expectations : MEASURES UP

17. Reference : CITE

18. Golf course units : ACRES - I tried HOLES first

19. AutoZone brand : STP

20. "Hannibal" co-screenwriter David : MAMET - filled via perps

21. Chateau __ Michelle winery : STE - WAG on the "E"

22. Luge medium : ICE

23. Put in stitches : SUTURE - not the humorous definition

24. Gmail lifesaver : UNDO SEND - undo delete is all I use - undo send sounds potentially hazardous

27. Network debut of 1970 : PBS - well, the "B" was there, and I figured CbS was wrong, maybe BBC;  naw, TBS~?  Oh, PBS. 

28. Group of experts : PANEL - my first thought, but I hesitated

30. Expedia shopper's plan : TRIP

31. Took the worm : BIT

32. Banned : ILLEGAL

34. Online game figures : AVATARS

36. Miss identification? : NÉE

37. Fivers : ABES - oops, not FINS

39. Jacquie Lawson online offering : eCARD

40. Office fixture : FAX 

41. Addresses capped at 18 minutes : TED TALKS - I had an idea what this referred to, but waited for some perps

43. Fashion house founder Marant : ISABEL - an "all perps" fill

45. Golf's "Big Easy" : ELS - professional golfer Ernie Els - crossword staple

46. Parisian pronoun : SEs - Frawnche for "himself"

49. __ Circus: ancient Roman arena : NERO'S - the "R" was my last fill, and the crossing had me baffled

50. Beach top : BRA - with a cross-reference at; 9d. Small 50-Across size : A-CUP

51. Seasonal temp : SANTA - argh, this one gets me all the time.  A temporary employee, at the mall, say

53. "My word!" : "I SAY~!"

56. Mint holders : TINS - because PILLOWS didn't fit

57. Preliminary research procedure : PILOT STUDY - always makes me think of the second scene in Pulp Fiction where Jules tries to explain a "pilot" TV show to Vincent

58. Bug big-time : IRK

59. "I'm with you, girl!" : "AMEN, SISTER~!"

DOWN:

1. Monastery figures : LAMAS - MONKS seemed too easy for Saturday

2. Choose : ELECT

3. Italian love infinitive : AMARE - oops, not amOre

4. Healthy amount? : DOSE

5. Heavy load : ONUS

6. Coin profile since 1946 : FDR

7. Work on a ceiling : FRESCO - the noun, not the verb

8. Top hostess' asset? : MOSTEST - Dammit, I could not find a usable clip of Bobbi Flekman from Spinal Tap for this clue - I even tried to make a meme, but that didn't work, either.

10. One may be taken under a tree : NAP - I take one every day - but not under a tree - my day is two shifts, both starting at 3 o'clock; first in the AM, then in the PM

12. Crane, e.g. : WATERBIRD

13. Some licensing requirements : EYE TESTS

15. ''Shoo!'' : SCAT

20. Facial treatment : MUDPACK

22. Avery product : ID LABEL -I use their business cards for making my game play cards in demos, and their iron-on transfers to make my own T-shirts

Poker night shirt - good distraction

23. Relatives of whimpers : SNIVELS

24. Article in Vogue Paris : UNE - more Frawnche

25. Cancels out : NEGATES

26. Stalin __ : ERA

28. Start of a Dickensian request : PLEASE, SIR - may I have some more~?

32. Q50, e.g. : INFINITI - I recognized this car model right away

33. Took control : LED

35. UCLA aides : TAs

38. Unproductive : STERILE - ah, that kind of unproductive

42. 12-step offshoot : AL-ANON - two "self-help" references in today's grid; this one paired next to; 55d. Rehab woe : DTs - personally, they happened in detox, not rehab.  I spent 13 months in a sober house, got the state of NY to pay for my AA ( no joke ) degree in AutoCAD drafting

44. Blue-clad youngsters? : BOYS - as opposed to the 'pink-clad' girls

46. Babe feature : SNOUT - Babe, the famous pig.  I like the babe's feature above - BTW, I have not "missed a week" - I merely threw deception into the mix when I posted a pantyhose legs pic on May 27th, but directed your attention to back dimples....

47. Practice piece : ETUDE

48. Pan pal : SATYR - clever clue

50. Panama border? : BRIM - the hat, not the country/canal

51. "Certainly, señor!" : "SI, SI~!"  - A si si for C. C.~!?!?

52. "The Good Wife" figs. : ATTorneyS - never watched the show

54. Coll. admissions criterion : GPA

Splynter

Saturday, Jun 3rd, 2017, Pawel Fludzinski

Theme: None

Words: 70 (missing Q,V,X)

Blocks: 34

 Yet another Saturday perplexity from Mr. Fludzinski - the hardest name to spell in the title bar~!  Today's puzzle was slow to start, but then a few spots opened up, and I was able to nearly get it finished without help - one cel was just not making any sense to me, and so I had to cheat with red-letters for that one crossing.  Oh well.  A triple stack of staggered 11-letter fills in the center, and triple 10-letter corners as well;

16a. Conforming phrase : WHEN IN ROME....

30a. Rouen Cathedral series painter : CLAUDE MONET

34a. So-called "Nobel Prize of Mathematics" : FIELDS MEDAL - more here

35a. Event for disabled athletes : PARALYMPICS

Winter 2018 - Korea

 56a. Strong six-pack : ABS OF STEEL

onDElaWARed~!

ACROSS:

1. Pine : ACHE - I had "LONG" to start - so I was on the 'verb' wavelength to start

5. Educational : SCHOLASTIC

15. Lump : GLOB

17. Not like in any way : HATE - filled via perps; I was thinking the opposite of "akin", not the emotional definition of "like"

18. Obsolescent book alternatives : AUDIO TAPES - now it's audio MP3s

19. Off the mark : ASTRAY - my first guess, but I hesitated

21. Like the title girl in a 2014 David Fincher film : GONE - IMDb

22. Further south of the border? : MAS - the Spanish adjective for more, over, beyond, further, etc.

23. Before Phelps, he held the record for most golds in a single Olympics : SPITZ - vaguely recalled his name, threw the "Z" in and that helped bridge the NW corner, literally

24. Govt. leaders : SENators

25. 1969 World Series MVP Clendenon : DONN - the crossing of 25d. led me to either "M", "D" or "R", but only the "R" and "D" worked here - I do not know much about baseball, even if I am from NY and our Mets won the Series that year - his Wiki

26. Rx amt. : TSP - I put in "TER", which is wrong, but got me further in the NW

27. QB's stat : ATTempts - not TDs, and not INT, either....

29. Stumping sites : PODIA - ah.  I knew what we needed here, but this 'plural of podium' had me fooled

36. Fact and fiction and flora and fauna, e.g. : PAIRS - oh, OK. 

37. Part of a chorus line? : TRA-la-la-lala, and so on

38. Include covertly, briefly : BCC - I saw 'covertly' and started thinking "OPS" - just your everyday "Blind Carbon Copy"

41. Calvary inscription : INRI - learned from doing crosswords

42. Cabinet mem. : SEC'Y

45. __ wind : SOLAR

47. Indian bread : NAN

48. Updike title character : BECH - new to me - now I feel like looking for Updike books at my library.  The Wiki

49. View from Tokyo, on clear days : Mt. FUJI - nailed it

50. "Is it safe to talk?" : "ARE WE ALONE~?"

53. Tag line? : FROM - I tried "I'm IT"

54. Fashion VIP : TASTEMAKER - well, that's the word, and the actual definition - one who decides what will be fashionable; my spellcheck doesn't like it, and I'm not much of a fan, either

55. First name in mystery : ERLE

57. Bar array : RYES - rather specific

DOWN:

1. Appalled : AGHAST

2. Necklace holders : CLASPS - my 12-step necklace broke Thursday AM, in my man-cave - the second time it's happened, both times right before I went to UPS - otherwise, if it fell off there, it would have gotten lost forever

3. Lead on a horse? : HOT TIP

4. Pulitzer-winning film critic : EBERT - made me concede that "LONG" may be wrong

5. Clout : SWAY

6. Physics Nobelist Steven in Obama's Cabinet : CHU - filled via perps

7. Equivocate : HEDGE

8. Ring material : ONION - ugh.  Got me.

9. They have their pride : LIONS - I got this one

10. Pay to play : ANTE - no paying, no playing this week - I'm down in Delaware again, for a BBQ and some more game development

11. Title for 25-Down: Abbr. : SRA

12. Tyra Banks reality show, familiarly : TOP MODEL - never watched it, but I did recall the name

13. "No joke!" : "I MEAN IT~!"

14. Wichita-based aviation company : CESSNA - it fit, and it worked, so....

20. Showy shrubs : AZALEAS

24. Burn the midnight oil : STUDY - made me change my "TDs" at 27a.

25. Some European women : DONAS - MONAS would have worked for me, but not with the crossing

28. Starbucks order : TALL - I don't 'do' Starbucks - I'll take 7-11 coffee, thanks

29. Online entertainment : PODCAST

30. Clouds from the Latin for "curls" : CIRRI - I once owned a Dodge Stratus, Plymouth made the "Breeze", and Chrysler's version was the "Cirrus" - yet two distinctly different clouds

31. Mil. decoration : DSM - the Distinguished Service Medal

32. Like some promises : EMPTY

33. Israel's Iron Lady : MEIR

34. Impartiality : FAIRNESS

35. For Mideast unity : PAN-ARAB

36. Thing to bash at a bash : PIÑATA

38. Not sharp : BLURRY - I had CLUMSY in there to start, since I wrongly filled in CC'd instead of BCC

39. Coax : CAJOLE - with the "J" from FuJi in place, I got this

40. Thefts, e.g. : CRIMES - oops, not HEISTS

42. Coal sources : SEAMS - I like these seams better

43. Bravura : ÉCLAT

44. Hold (back), as tears : CHOKE

46. Put forth : OFFER

48. Quarrel : BEEF

49. Crossword legend Reagle : MERL

51. GATT successor : WTO - no clue. I never heard of either (more here), and so it was an alphabet run, and I didn't know if 54a. was a proper name, so I was basically screwed. 

52. Once called : NÉE

Splynter

Note from C.C.:

Happy Birthday to dear Owen, our talented and hardworking wordsmith. Thanks for being part of our family, Owen!

 

Owen & his wife Brenda (Feb 28, 2009)

Saturday, May 27th, 2017, Jeff Chen

Theme: None

Words: 68 (missing F,J,Q,X)

Blocks: 34

We have not seen a solo Jeff Chen on a Saturday in quite some time.  This one was looking pretty grim for a while, and then one or two words broke it open for me.  Triple spanner stack today, with two 9- and 10-letter climbers crossing - not the usual short 3- and 4-letter words to help out - and thus convenient tie-ins, corner to corner.  Last to fill was the NE, and I was able to finish well within my personal allotted time - but I will own up to turning on red-letters for just one cel, a crossing of a personal name and a clue that I just did not get.  Figures.  The spanners;

35. Make trouble : CREATE A NUISANCE - not exactly in the 'vernacular' I would say, so a bit of a stretch for me

38. 1997 Emmy winner for Outstanding Lead Actress in a Drama Series : GILLIAN ANDERSON - for her role as Agent Dana Scully from the X-files, one of my favorite shows of all time

39. It might cause quite a shock : ELECTRIC CURRENT -  I threw in the first word , and waited to see what the second half of the answer would be

¡~pɹɐʍuo (15a.)

ACROSS:

1. Crisis advice : DON'T PANIC - ah, Douglas Adams' Hitchhiker's Guide advice

10. Military clipping? : BUZZ

14. "Fish" star : ABE VIGODA - got it, but then again, I know no one else from that show

15. It's often transported upside-down : CANOE - got it from the "C", and the clue had me intrigued - I was thinking larger, like something on a flat-bed

They caught the Loch Ness monster~!

16. Parts of many place settings : TEASPOONS - SALAD FORK~?  SOUP SPOON~? Had to wait, missed the plural

17. "Loot" playwright : ORTON - the "T" was a Natick - I tried "S" and "D"

18. Fictional 1847 autobiographer : EYRE - I tried "FINN" first

19. Physics model using an analogy to the solar system : BOHR ATOM

21. Adulterer follower, in slang : TEC - deTECtive, tho I did not get the clue at first because I was thinking "adulterer" was some sort of X-rated reference; I suppose it is, in a way

24. They're framed : CELS

25. British racing cars : MGs

28. Trees whose bark contains the anti-inflammatory salicin : ALDERS - Pondered POPLAR and WALNUT before I saw the plural "S" in treeS

31. Real piece of work : TASK

40. Coder's conditional : ELSE - why 'coder's'~?

41. Bible-toting aunt on "Sanford and Son" : ESTHER - had the "E", seemed Biblically appropriate; semi-clecho with 54d. "Sanford and Son" first name : REDD - the actor, FOXX, whose real name was Sanford

42. The French? : LES - Frawnche for "The"

43. Bite : NOSH

45. Muppets chimp __ Minella : SAL - har-har
                                                                                           ..
47. Made bank : HIT IT BIG - like the second verse from this Spinal Tap song

"Hell Hole" @ 1:20

51. Thickening agent : AGAR

55. Nugget of wisdom : PEARL

56. "Pick it up!" : "LOOK ALIVE~!"

59. The "Iliad" and the "Odyssey" : SAGAS - I had EPICS; this one could not be clued as "palidromic", since that appears at 27d.

60. Like bears and koala bears : UNRELATED - clever

61. False __ : IDOL - I thought of so many other "falses"

62. Best Upset, e.g. : ESPY AWARD

DOWN:

1. Tinder meeting : DATE

2. Follow : OBEY

3. Around : NEAR

4. Boob tube : TV SET - I mentioned this last week

5. Dimple on a die : PIP - I just discovered there is such a thing as "back dimples"

some have gone so far as to get them pierced....

6. Earlier : AGO

7. Neophyte, briefly : NOOB

8. SSN, e.g. : ID No.

9. Problem caused by fallen dough? : CASH CRUNCH

10. MVP of Super Bowls I and II : BART STARR

11. Word that sometimes precedes itself : UNTO - unto unto~? As in do unto....~?

12. Shooter's piece : ZOOM - photo shooter, that is; I was in gangster "gat" mode

13. Peaceful : ZEN - first thought, but hesitated to fill it in

15. Shade of black : COAL - dah~!  Not EBON

20. Distillery leftovers : RESIDUES

22. Wipe out, in snowboarding slang : EAT IT

23. Least obfuscatory : CLEAREST - good $2 word in there; and when you use it, most people are obfuscated

25. Bobby in a '70s chart-topper : McGEE

26. Give the third degree : GRILL

27. Palindromic court star : SELES

29. Cheese with PGI status (protected geographical indication) : DANISH BLUE - uh, sounds like cheese....

30. Pass : ENACT

32. First name in landscape photography : ANSEL - Adams

33. Clotted cream may be put on one : SCONE - ugh - just the name makes me cringe - and my parents are English

34. Superman's kin : KENTS - here on Earth

36. Indians' habitat?: Abbr. : AL CENTRAL - I figured it was Cleveland, but did not know their specific baseball division

37. Brazilian mountain chain : SERRA

44. Essential __ : OILS

46. Bochco drama : L.A. LAW

47. Big enchilada : HEAD

48. Manipulator of the Moor : IAGO

49. They carry charges : IONS

50. It's also called scroggin or schmogle : GORP - learned here at the blog that it stands for "Good Old Raisins and Peanuts"

52. Sanskrit scripture, with "the" : GITA - Got it, since I like the TV show "Ancient Aliens"; it refers to this writing in several episodes

53. Swear to be true : AVER - or AVOW~?  Had to wait.  It's been a while since I've seen this answer.

55. Chi follower : PSI - made me change my EPICS to SAGAS

57. Instrumental : KEY

58. Styled after : Á LA

Splynter